The Rules of Being a Winchester
by Fiona Bel
Summary: Dean’s been hiding something from Sam since they were teenagers, but when Sam has a dream about the night Dean’s girlfriend died, how will Dean react? Will what they find save Dean from losing himself?
1. Rule 1: Never Open Up

**Hey everyone!** This is my first Supernatural fic, and I'm not completely sure where its going, but its been stuck in my head for a while. I hope you enjoy it.

This takes place after Croatoan, about a month after because they've already had a hunt after that. The last scene of that episode didn't happen, so they've never discussed what John told Dean about Sam.

Probably no spoilers in this chapter, but future spoilers for Croatoan, CSPwDT, In My Time of Dying, Faith, and Shtriga.

I don't have a beta, so all the mistakes you find are mine. If anyone's interested in being a beta for this, let me know in a review or e-mail.

Summary: Dean's been hiding something from Sam since they were teenagers, but when Sam has a dream about the night Dean's girlfriend died, how will Dean react? Will what they find save Dean from losing himself?

Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Sam or Dean, or any other people you've actually seen on Supernatural. I do own Rachel and Emma, and the Crishtol (I totally made that up because it isn't going to play a big part in the story, so I decided to just make up a name instead of going with an actual folk tale or something).

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Rule 1: Never Open up

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_The phone rang. After five rings, a nineteen year old Dean got out of the motel bed and turned down the TV. He made sure Sam was safe asleep in his bed before answering it._

"_Hello?"_

"_Dean?"a voice said on the other end._

"_Who is- Rachel? Rach is that you?" Dean said after realizing who was calling. It was his ex girlfriend, Rachel, who he hadn't talked to in a year._

"_Dean, where are you?" Rachel said, and Dean realized she was crying._

_Rachel was sitting in the corner of a dark room. On her right was a crib, with a baby girl in it, sound asleep. Rachel pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. The room was cold, so she wrapped her free arm around her body, and held the phone up to her ear with the other, and waited for Dean's response._

"_I'm with my dad. Rachel, how did you find me? What's wrong, why are you crying?"_

"_Something's here. Dean you have to save me, you need to come here. Right now."_

"_What do you mean something is there? Some_one_ or some_thing_?"_

"_Some_thing_, Dean. Something is here," her voice had turned into a whisper._

"_Rach, I–" He was cut of by an ear shattering scream on the other end. Dean didn't know what was going on, but something had suddenly come into Rachel's room. Something on fire. Rachel screamed and cried, and tried to protect her baby, but before she knew it she was on the ceiling, dying above her 6 month old daughter. _

"Sam. Sam, wake up. Sam! SAM!"

Sam woke up to see Dean standing over him in a towel, dripping wet. Did his dream really happen? He had never had dreams of the past before.

"Dude, you were screaming, what's your problem?" Dean asked. Sam realized Dean must've been in the shower when he heard him screaming. He couldn't tell Dean about his dream, Dean wouldn't tell him the truth about it, anyway.

"Nothing, just a nightmare."

"A nightmare about what?"

"Those damn little poodles attacking me," Sam lied convincingly. Dean looked at him like he was crazy.

"Again? You gotta stop eating sugar before you go to bed," Dean said, and walked back into the bathroom.

Sam had to know if his dream was true. He remembered going to Rachel's funeral, but he didn't know how she'd died. No one had ever talked about it, and Dean never talked about Rachel after her death.

Just then Dean walked out of the bathroom wearing jeans and no shirt. He sat down and opened a box of donuts he must've gotten while Sam was asleep.

"Why are you starin' at me?" he said to Sam.

"I was just thinking about someone. You remember Rachel Winters?"

Dean sat back in his chair. "Yeah."

"What happened to her? I mean, I never actually found out how she died."

"Why do you care, Sam?" Dean looked uncomfortable.

"I was just thinking, I mean I remember her, you guys were pretty close but you never talk about her."

"Where the hell did this come from?" Dean waited for Sam to answer him, but he didn't. "Sam, what made you think of her?"

Sam had to think quick. He looked around the room, waiting for something to give him an idea. "Our last hunt was about a Crishtol, and that was what we were hunting right before she died." Sam knew that was a crappy lie, but it was all he could think of.

"No we weren't."

"Oh, right." Dean glared at him.

They sat there for a few minutes silently. The only thing that was heard was dean chewing his donut and sipping his coffee.

"But Dean, how _did_ she die?" Sam asked

"Sam, drop it!"

"What's the big deal Dean, why won't you tell me?"

"It was a fire, okay? Now will you get off my back?"

Just like in Sam's dream. It was a fire, but he knew it wasn't an average fire. And so did Dean.

"What kind of fire?"

"SAM!"

"It was the demon, wasn't it? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Dean stood up. "Shut your mouth, Sam, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes I do, I- I had a dream about it."

"You what? Sam, that's impossible. She's dead, you can't have friggin' premonitions about her-"

"No, it wasn't a premonition, it was, it was the past."

"So your not just having your freaky premonitions, now your having visions of the past?"

"I guess, you tell me. What happened that night?"

Dean sighed and sat down on the bed. He looked terrible. Dark circles under his eyes, scars everywhere, but the most noticeable one over his heart, where the demon had tore him apart, and nearly killed him. Sam had almost lost his brother. But now, he _was_ losing him. Dean wouldn't talk to Sam about anything. He had said he didn't want go on anymore. Dean had actually opened up. And that scared the hell out of Sam. His brother was slipping away from him, and he might never come back.

"We were at a motel in Vermont," he started. "We'd been on a hunt for about a week, and Dad went off alone one night to kill it. You had just fallen asleep, and the phone rang. I don't know why I answered it, I knew I was never supposed to answer the phone. But I did. She said something was after her, in her apartment. I had no idea what she was talking about, and even if I did, we were in Vermont and she was in Kansas, what was I gonna do to help her? We were only on the phone for a minute when she screamed. And that was it. After the funeral, me and Dad went to check out her apartment. It was supernatural, but it was gone. I'm not sure if it was the demon, but I have a feeling it was." Dean paused, then looked at Sam. "That sound about right?"

"Yeah," Sam whispered.

"I still don't know how she got that number," Dean mumbled.

"Dean, in my dream, there was a baby."

"A baby?" Dean stood up.

"Yeah. What's that about?"

"How should I know?"

"You mean it isn't yours?" Sam asked doubtfully.

"No! Hell no!" Dean shouted.

"Dean, from what I remember about Rachel, she didn't seem like the type to sleep around."

"So what makes you think she slept with me?"

"She didn't?" Sam asked accusingly.

Dean sighed. "But she would've told me if she was having my baby."

"Dean, think about it. The demon obviously has a thing for our family. He killed Mom and Jess. I _saw_ Rachel die on the ceiling, on fire, above a baby girl. You don't think it has a connection to you?"

Dean was deep in thought. "I have a daughter?"

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A/N: I really hoped you liked this chapter, I'll probably update soonish, if anyone reviews. Tell me what you think, whether its good or bad.

Thanks so much for reading!

Nicole (february-bliss)


	2. Rule 2: Never Give Up

**A/N: **Okay, I am sooo proud of myself because I've never updated this quickly! I know it's short, but I wasn't going to post it until after Christmas, but I decided to post what I had. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own Rachel, Emma, and Lacy. That's it.

Takes place after Croatoan, about a month after because they've already had a hunt after that. The last scene of that episode didn't happen, so they've never discussed what John told Dean about Sam.

I don't have a beta, so all the mistakes you find are mine. If anyone's interested in being a beta for this, let me know in a review or e-mail.

And thanks so much to my reviewers, **AllieMcD** and **arielle**!

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Rule 2: Never Give up 

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_3:55 p.m._

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"Okay, I have the addresses of 5 foster homes in and around the area where Rachel died," Sam said as he closed his laptop.

"Alright, lets go check 'em out."

"But," Sam said, "Don't get your hopes up. Kids don't always go to homes in the area. Or she might've been adopted. She could be anywhere."

"If it's going to be that much trouble to find her, lets just not look."

"You wanna just give up?" Sam asked angrily. "She's your daughter, Dean. We know what it's like growing up without one parent, imagine what it's like having none."

"We do," Dean mumbled.

"What?"

Dean sighed. "We do. We know what it's like growing up with no parents."

"We had Dad," Sam said quickly.

"Yeah. Dad. You really think that counts?"

"Yeah Dean, he raised us. He did his best"

"Whatever. That wasn't his best, and you know it."

Sam didn't talk for a moment. "Well, either way," he said quietly, "it sucked didn't it? You want your daughter to go through that?"

"... Lets go."

_6:22 p.m._

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Dean and Sam sat in the Impala, on their way to Kansas. Sam sat in the passenger's seat on his cell phone, calling the foster homes he found on the internet. After calling the fourth one, he slammed his phone shut. Dean didn't have to ask why.

"No answer at the last two." Sam rubbed the back of his neck.

"Then lets pay 'em a visit."

"Alright, the first one is about a half hour away."

Dean sped up. "We'll be there in 10."

_6:44 p.m._

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Dean and Sam walked up to the door of the first foster home. A slim, middle aged woman opened the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, um I'm Dean Winchester, this is my brother,"Dean said. _Why the hell is he using his real name?_ Sam thought. "We're, um, looking for someone who might live here. We actually don't know her name, but she's 8 years old, her mother, Rachel Winters, died in a fire in August, 1998."

"Yes, that's Emma. Come in." Dean smiled nervously. "I'm Lacy Montgomery."

Lacy led them into the living room. Dean and Sam sat on a couch and Lacy sat across from them on a chair. Two young girls and a little boy ran through and up the stairs. _One of them could be my daughter. Emma, _Dean thought.

"How do you know Emma?" Lacy asked.

"Uhhh, actually, I'm her father."

Lacy looked shocked. "Your kidding."

"Yeah, why does that surprise you?"

"Did you contact her somehow?"

"No, I've never talked to her in my life. Why?" Dean was confused.

"Well, all day today, Emma was saying that her father was going to come and pick her up."

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A/N: Thanks for reading, I really hope you liked it. Please review, I'll love you forever, I promise. :) Happy Holidays everyone! 

Nicole (february bliss)


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